Houston vs Baltimore Week 6 NFL Betting Preview & Predictions
The Texans are coming off a draining home loss against the Raiders, while the Ravens are coming off a bye week. Both of these teams have high aspirations for the 2011-2012 season.
Houston is looking to finally get into the playoffs and do some damage, while the Ravens are looking to get over the hump and get back to the Super Bowl. This one should be a good game in Baltimore this Sunday.
Houston Texans (3-2) vs. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
Time/Date: 1:00 PM EST, October 16, 2011
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Texans vs. Ravens Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Spread: Ravens -7.5
Moneyline: Ravens (-375) Texans (+315)
Over/Under: 44.5
Andre Johnson is the Texans best player, but he won’t be on the field this Sunday. Johnson underwent surgery on his hamstring and he has been ruled out for this game. Matt Schaub has a minor shoulder injury, but he is expected to be ready to go. Houston’s offense is generally quite balanced thanks to a ground presence from Arian Foster and the passing game with Schaub and his talented wide receivers. Expect Foster and his backup, Ben Tate, to get a little bit more action than normal in this one because of Johnson’s absence. Houston is averaging 25.4 points per game so far this year.
The Texans were horrific last year against the pass, but they improved their secondary a great deal during the offseason. Johnathan Joseph is one of the top cornerbacks in the league and he has really helped this defensive secondary step up this season. Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans are a great pair of inside linebackers for this defense. Mario Williams was having a great season, but he is out for the season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle last week.
Baltimore set the stage for an impressive season with an opening day thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens dominated the Jets a couple weeks ago, and they’ll look to keep the momentum going this weekend. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
What’s the biggest difference in the Baltimore offense this year as compared to last? Ray Rice is looking like a dominant running back once again. Rice struggled last year, but he is averaging 4.5 yards per carry so far this season. Rice is tied for the team lead in receptions as well. Joe Flacco has been inconsistent this year. Flacco has only thrown three interceptions, but his completion percentage of 49.3% is abysmal. He’ll need to become more consistent as the season moves along.
Baltimore is giving up just 14.2 points per contest, which is the best mark in the NFL. Haloti Ngata has three forced fumbles in just four games, and he is the real anchor for this defense. Ray Lewis leads the team with 26 tackles. Ladarius Webb has broken up seven passes and picked off two passes already this year. This is a unit that really doesn’t have any apparent weaknesses, and I expect them to be one of the best in the NFL all season.
Baltimore is the more complete team here, but I don’t think they should be favored by more than a touchdown. The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Free NFL Pick: Texans +7.5
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